


Belonging

by Seraph_Novak



Series: Tyrus One-Shots [52]
Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Ambi - Freeform, Angst with a Happy Ending, Coming Out, Cute, F/F, Friends to Lovers, High School, M/M, One Shot, Pride, Self-Acceptance, Tyrus - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 14:51:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19253395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seraph_Novak/pseuds/Seraph_Novak
Summary: Pride Gift Exchange ~ Cyrus invites TJ to a GSA meeting at school.





	Belonging

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! This is just something short and sweet I wrote as part of the Pride Gift Exchange over on Tumblr... I hope you like it! 
> 
> As always, all comments and kudos are very much appreciated ♥
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://seraph-novak.tumblr.com)

Cyrus stood by patiently as TJ examined the sign on the door, his eyes studiously tracing the rainbow-coloured acronym glittering beneath the laminated sheen.

“GSA,” TJ mumbled under his breath. There was a furrow between his light brows, one that Cyrus desperately wanted to smooth away with the touch of his fingertips, and his lips were pressed into a thin, trembling line. Cyrus hadn’t seen his friend this anxious since he’d come out to him a few months ago.

“It stands for ‘Gay-Straight Alliance’,” Cyrus said, feeling like an idiot. Even if the meaning hadn’t been written in smaller letters at the bottom of the poster, he’d already explained the purpose of the club when he’d invited TJ.

“I know what it means.” TJ flicked him an amused glance, then blew out a long, billowing sigh. His hands were shaking as he stuffed them into his pockets. “I guess we should go inside, huh?”

“You don’t have to do this if you’re not ready.”

“I know.”

Cyrus chewed the inside of his cheek, debating whether or not to reach out and touch him. Ever since they’d come out to each other, they’d grown impossibly close, to the point where even his parents had assumed they were already dating. But he didn’t want to risk the possibility of something more by moving too quickly, so he settled for a friendly clap on the shoulder instead.  

“It’s not as scary as it sounds,” he assured him gently. “Everyone there is really nice. And they won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.”

“You sure?”

“100%.”

TJ glanced down at the hand on his shoulder, and the worry etched into his face instantly melted away, the corners of his mouth turning up softly. When he looked up again, Cyrus could swear the world stopped spinning for a brief, heart-stuttering moment.

“Thanks, Underdog.”

Cyrus swallowed thickly and smiled. “No problem.”

“You wanna go in?”

“Only if you do.”

“Yeah.” TJ sucked in a shaky breath, his eyes never leaving Cyrus’ face. “I’m ready.”

The moment they stepped through the door, Cyrus knew something was wrong. Besides Andi and Amber, who greeted them with shared grins as they waved them over to a couple of empty seats, everyone in the room turned and glared at TJ with guarded, mistrustful eyes. Cyrus tried to diffuse the tension with a polite smile as they walked across the room, but it was no use. They didn’t even make it to their seats before someone spoke up.

“What the hell is  _he_ doing here?”

Cyrus vaguely recognised the boy from one of his classes last year.  _Sam_ , he thought his name was. Apart from a handful of conversations they’d shared at GSA meetings in the past, they’d never really spoken before. But judging by the pure disdain brimming behind Sam’s glasses, he definitely knew TJ.

“That guy’s an asshole,” Sam continued, rising from his chair to point an accusatory finger in TJ’s face. “He used to threaten to steal my lunch if I didn’t let him copy my homework.”

A ripple of nodding heads and murmured agreements passed through the group, until almost the entire room was staring at TJ with a mixture of fear and hatred darkening their expressions. If Cyrus didn’t know any better, he’d think TJ had just kicked a puppy right in front of them.

“I thought this group was welcome to everyone,” he argued, instinctively stepping in front of TJ to shield him from their piercing glowers.

Sam scoffed. “Not  _bullies_.”

“TJ isn’t like that anymore,” Cyrus insisted. “He’s changed!”

“Yeah, right.”

“When’s the last time he was mean to you?”

“That isn’t the point!”

“Of course it is,” Amber said, her top lip twitching with barely concealed rage. If it weren’t for Andi’s hand on her arm, she probably would’ve charged across the room and put Sam into a headlock by now. “People change, dumbass. They get better.”

“Not him.”

“Why –”

“He’s nothing but a stupid jock!” Sam spat. There were two patches of red now blooming on his cheeks, but he wasn’t backing down. If anything, he was getting angrier. “I mean,  _look_ at him. He’s aggressively straight, for God’s sake!”

TJ flinched, and Cyrus could feel his patience quickly morphing into rage. It was one thing to judge TJ for his past mistakes, but to stick him with a label just by looking at him? That was crossing the line.

“You need to calm down,” Cyrus said, trying his best to keep his voice from shaking. “TJ’s done nothing wrong.”

“He –”

“That was years ago! He’s a different person now.”

Sam shook his head. “This is supposed to be a safe space, remember? How are we supposed to feel safe with him here?” He looked over at TJ and tightened his jaw. “I’m sorry, Cyrus, but no. It isn’t fair on everyone else.”

Cyrus opened his mouth to protest, but TJ stopped him with a hand on his arm, the furrow between his brows even deeper than before as he silently begged him not to say anything else. Cyrus knew him well enough to notice the slight wobble of his chin, the glassy film over his eyes… He was close to tears, but he didn’t want to break down in front of these people. If there was one thing TJ feared more than anything, it was letting the world see him weak.

“He’s right,” TJ said, his voice thick with unshed tears. He glanced around the room, his eyes slowly drifting across a sea of hateful faces, then let his hand slide away from Cyrus’ arm. “I should go.”

“No, TJ –”

“I don’t belong here, Cy.”

“That isn’t true!”

“I’ll wait for you outside, okay?”

“TJ…”

But it was hopeless. TJ was already walking out the door, his head hanging low to hide his face from the rest of the room. As soon as he was gone, Cyrus allowed the anger in his gut to boil over completely, spilling into his veins and setting his eyes alight with a burning fury he’d never felt before.

“How dare you,” he all but whispered. “Do you have any idea how scared he was about coming here today? I told him he’d be fine, and you treated him like  _dirt_. You might’ve just knocked his confidence forever.”

Sam licked his lips, at least having the good grace to look a little bit guilty. “What did you expect us to do?”

“Not be a complete dick,” Amber muttered.

“I expected you to be welcoming,” he said, shooting Amber a lightly chastising look. “TJ’s been pressured to be someone he’s not his entire life. By his parents, his teachers, his  _friends_ … And now he’s finally starting to figure out who he is, and you turned him away. You made him  _doubt_ himself.” Cyrus took a deep, calming breath, then turned to the rest of the group. “I know TJ’s made mistakes in the past, but he shouldn’t have to carry them around forever. No one blames him more than  _he_  does, trust me.”

Sam huffed, clearly caught between sympathy and defiance. “How are we supposed to just forgive him like that, huh? He made a lot of us feel like crap, you know?”

“Me included,” Cyrus said. “But he’s working on it. Believe me. And if you give him a chance, you’ll see what I see in him.” He smiled, his cheeks growing warm as that familiar feeling of fondness washed over him, dampening the rest of his anger within seconds. “He’s the best person I’ve ever known.”

Across the room, Andi and Amber were watching him with soft, knowing smiles. He’d basically just admitted his feelings for TJ to a room full of people, but he didn’t care. If there was one thing he was definitely proud of, it was loving TJ Kippen.

“Okay,” he said, shaking himself out of his trance. “I guess I’ll go find him then…”

Before he could leave, Sam grabbed his arm and turned him back around, a light blush pinching his cheeks. For a moment, all he did was stare at Cyrus with a slightly-constipated look on his face, and then he cleared his throat and shrugged.

“If you find him, tell him he’s welcome here. If he still wants to be.”

Cyrus smiled. “I’ll do that.”

~~~~~

It was no surprise to find TJ waiting for him on the swings. He was dragging his feet through the woodchips, his elbows hooked around the metal chains, and Cyrus could hear him humming a glum rendition of his infamous swing song. If the circumstances were different, he’d probably find it stupidly adorable.

“Hey,” he said softly, trying not to startle him.

TJ lifted his head and offered him a watery smile. “Hey, Underdog.”

“What are you doing out here?”

“Swinging.”

“I’d hardly call that swinging,” he teased, giving TJ a generous push until his feet finally left the ground. “There you go.”

TJ sniffed. “Thanks.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

“ _TJ_ …”

“Okay, fine.” He jumped off the swing, kicking up a cloud of woodchips as his feet collided heavily with the earth, and turned to Cyrus. He looked angry, but Cyrus knew it wasn’t directed at him. Or even Sam, for that matter. TJ was angry with himself, as per usual, and it was breaking his heart. “I’m not okay, Cy. I’m the  _opposite_ of okay. Those guys in there hate me, and I don’t blame them.”

Cyrus took a seat on his usual swing, gently tugging on TJ’s sleeve until he sat back down beside him. “They don’t hate you,” he said, daring to place a hand on TJ’s bouncing knee. “They hate what you did to them. But that was a long time ago, Teej. And you’re different now.”

“Am I?”

“Of course you are!”

“Nothing but a stupid jock. That’s what they called me. And they’re right, aren’t they? That’s what I am!”

Cyrus rolled his eyes. “You play basketball. That doesn’t make you the Antichrist.”

“It makes me a cliché.”

“What does that even mean?”

“That I’m one of those douchey, one-dimensional guys who picks on other kids for fun!”

“No.” Cyrus took his hand without thinking about it. TJ’s palm was surprisingly soft, and slightly sweaty, and Cyrus couldn’t believe he’d waited this long to see what it felt like. Now that he was holding it, he couldn’t imagine ever letting it go again.

As TJ stared down at their joined hands, new tears sprang to his eyes, rolling down his cheeks in hot, heavy drops that left shiny tracks in their wake.

“I don’t belong in the community,” he whimpered.

Cyrus slotted their fingers together, so their palms were flush. “Don’t say that, Teej. That isn’t true at all.”

“You heard what Sam said. They all think I’m ‘aggressively straight’.”

“Sam was just upset.”

“Maybe he’s right.”

“Do you honestly believe that?”

TJ responded with a shrug. He’d started absently playing with Cyrus’ fingers, slowly tracing the lines that mapped his palms and rubbing circles against the back of his hand, and Cyrus was seriously struggling to focus on anything else. But then he caught sight of a tear dangling from TJ’s chin, and his stomach lurched unpleasantly, like a boat throwing itself against a rocky shore.

“Stop that,” he said, bumping their knees together. “You  _are_ a part of the community, TJ.”

“I don’t know…”

“Yes, you do. You told me yourself.”

“Maybe I was wrong.”

At that, Cyrus reached out and cupped his chin, gently turning his face towards him, until his glittering eyes had no choice but to meet his own. Once he was sure he had TJ’s attention, he got to his feet and placed his hands on either side of his face, letting TJ’s tears roll over his fingers and down his wrists.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, his voice wavering slightly.

TJ nodded. “Of course I do.”

“Can I try something?”

“Okay.”

Cyrus dipped his head, until his nose was brushing against TJ’s cheek, then paused, his throat rippling as he adjusted to the limited space between them. “If you want me to stop, just say so.”

“I… I-I don’t want you to stop.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

So he kept going, leaning in until the tips of their noses were squashed together, and Cyrus could feel TJ’s warm breath fanning against his mouth, the faint smell of chocolate chocolate chip muffins making him smile. It only got better when their lips finally touched. He hadn’t realised it was possible to smile so wide, or feel so dizzily happy without keeling over. If holding TJ’s hand had been a blessing, then this was a wonder. A  _miracle_. And as soon as they pulled apart, he wished they could do it all over again.

“How was that?” he asked, a little breathlessly.

TJ blinked at him slowly, a dopey smile spreading across his face. “Amazing,” he breathed.

Cyrus blushed. “There you go then.”

“Huh?”

“You’re a part of the community,” he clarified, quirking an eyebrow as TJ stared at him in blissed-out confusion. “Not that you had to prove yourself to anyone.”

“Wait… What are you saying?”

“That I’m insanely in love with you,” he said simply. “And judging by that kiss, I think you feel the same way.”

TJ gawped at him, his mouth hanging open. Even now, when he looked like a fish sucking on bubbles, Cyrus swore he was the most beautiful thing he’d ever laid his eyes on. And if it were up to him, he’d happily spend the rest of his life proving to TJ just how much he belonged, and why.

“So,” TJ said, still gaping at Cyrus with a mixture of shock and awe, “that wasn’t just to prove a point?”

“What do you think?”

“I…”

“You want me to show you again?”

TJ gulped. “Yes, please.”

When they kissed for a second time, it was even better. Without urgency or fear getting in the way, Cyrus was able to appreciate the soft curve of TJ’s smile against his cheek, and the tickling thud of his heart against his chest. Even after they parted, Cyrus could still feel it buzzing beneath his skin, and all it took was one glance at TJ’s giddy, uncontrollable grin to confirm what Cyrus had already hoped was true.

“You feel it,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

TJ laughed. “Yeah, I feel it.”

“Are you ready to go back now?”

“Um…”

“We don’t have to.”

“No.” TJ reached for his hand and held it against his chest. “No, I… I wanna go back. As long as you’re there with me.”

Cyrus squeezed his hand and smiled. “Of course I’ll be there.”

~~~~~

When they returned to the group, there were no more looks of disdain or mistrust directed at TJ. They wove their way through the circle of chairs and took a seat next to Andi and Amber, proudly displaying their joined hands for everyone to see. And when Sam silently handed TJ a small, black badge with a rainbow-coloured heart in the centre, he took it with a smile and clipped it to his bag without hesitation.

To anyone else, it might’ve seemed like a simple gesture, but Cyrus knew the truth: for the first time in his life, TJ felt like he truly belonged, and that was something really special.


End file.
